TESTING DAVID LLOYD CLASSES | BODY PUMP

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It’s been a while since my previous ‘testing David Lloyd classes’ blog post and that’s not because I’ve been skipping those gym sessions. Don’t worry if you follow me on instagram you’ll see I’m an avid David Lloyd go-er, but its taken me some time to branch out to try classes I’ve never done before. I think every once in a while its good to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and try something new. So looking through my DL app at which classes I’ve never done I was shocked to see there are still a few I have never even ventured into, but I decided to dive straight in and kick start my post summer workout regime with something fresh to me: Body Pump.

I decided it would be fun to share a novice’s opinion and explanation on each class I try at David Lloyd. (I go to David Lloyd Swindon - so click here to check out their classes) Although I do go to the gym very regularly I was certainly not always like this and I definitely understand it takes people quite a bit of confidence to try new classes where you’re not quite sure what you’re getting into. I’ve even been the girl that turns up bang on time for a class just so I can stand outside and judge the vibe, the difficulty and whether or not I’ll be able to do the class. So whether you’re a David Lloyd member or not – I’m pretty sure Body Pump is taught at a variety of different clubs, so let me run you through my thoughts and experiences.

So what is Body Pump? In short it’s a barbell workout (those long poles with weights either end in case you wondered what that even is) where you choose your weight level and follow an instructor through a variety of different workouts for your arms, legs and abs. Warning: there’s a LOT of repetitions!

Walking into the class I was initially quite intimidated as I could hear the banging and clattering of weights and poles and goodness knows what. As I was 10 minutes early, the teacher hadn’t yet arrived but plenty of people setting up – so I took a chance and grabbed what I could see they’d all got. So it consisted of a step bench, a barbell and I got a mix of different weights to put on as It seemed everyone had opted for varying weights themselves. When the teacher arrived I told her I was new and that had my copying tactic paid off with my set up. Once she’d confirmed that but told me to start light with the weights I was ready to roll.

The class works to loud and fun music, its super easy to follow because the instructor was really easy to understand and also demonstrating each movement. I didn’t find it hard to pick up at all, but also nothing was too hard for a beginner even if you’ve never picked a weight up before in your life. We worked our arms with different weighted exercises and then legs with about 4 million squats and lunges (I ached like I’ve never ached before the next day) and we even lay down to train abs.

So now to answer the questions I set myself when starting a new DL class:

Who would this class be good for?

The class would be fine for most people. It’s quite fast paced and I know that one guy during the class got rather light headed but it’s definitely one of those classes that you can work as hard or as easy as you want (I mean you could even drop the barbell and work without that). Everyone in the class was of diffrerent ages, genders, body types and fitness levels so don’t fret about that!

What do I need?

All the equipment that they would provide – I’d suggest asking the instructor to show you what you need and how to pop the weights on the bar if you’re unsure. Oh and a gym to go to! Mine is David Lloyd Swindon - click hereto find out more.

Difficulty Rating:

7/10 – although the class works on repetitions of exercises which BURNS.

Fun Rating:

6/10 – Okay so this is rather low compared to some of the other classes. But I want to stay truly honest on here. I found that although the class gave me a good burn, I found the repetitions quite tedious and long. Squatting for so long sometimes you also end up losing your form and I really like to keep good posture when working out. I think because its also quite a long class I had a bit of a tendency to get bored when doing the same movements so often. However if you bring a pal or if you need motivating from someone else – this is great for that.

Would I do it again?

Not Sure – I think I could do it again, it was a good class in terms of workout but theres other David Lloyd classes I enjoy more like circuits or pilates. I tend to train with weights by myself anyway but definitely know where to go if I decide I want to work my booty more!!!

I hope you guys liked a little insight into what I thought of Body Pump. So if you want to check out more classes at David Lloyd you can click hereto see the full timetable at my gym (David Lloyd Swindon).